So There Was This Joke

I've heard many coaches names used, but for the purposes of this blog we'll go with...

Q: What do Marijuana and Mark Dantonio have in common? 
A: They both get smoked in bowls.

Seriously though, Dantonio's bowl record (0-4) is probably the only blemish on his resume as Michigan State's coach.  Is this the year he can finally get a bowl victory?  And how will the rest of the Big Ten do?

B1G Bowl Preview

Little Caesar's
Western Michigan vs Purdue


A solid matchup in Detroit.  Alex Carder and the Broncos can really sling the ball around the field and put up points.  Purdue seemed to improve as the season went along and they figured out what they were doing at quarterback and played pretty solid defensively.  I expect an exciting game with WMU moving the ball and Purdue getting some big plays on both sides of the ball.

Purdue 35 WMU 31

Insight
Iowa vs Oklahoma

Yikes.  Broyles is out so the Sooners aren't quite as dangerous as they once were...but they are still far too efficient for the Hawkeyes to shut them down.  Oklahoma may not be very excited to be in this game and the Hawkeyes could use better motivation to go out and steal a victory.  The problem I see here is that Iowa's secondary is just not very good and Oklahoma knows how to pass the football.  Hope I'm wrong, but I see this as a lopsided game not going in the Big Ten's favor.

42-17 Oklahoma


Meineke Car Care of Texas
Texas A&M vs Northwestern

Is this a matchup vs the Big 12 or the SEC?  Who knows, but the Aggies are a very talented team who underachieved and lost a bunch of close games throughout the year. If the Big 12 was as good as the computers thought this season this game is not going to go well for the Big Ten.  However, I have hope here.  Teams that lose a lot of games don't usually figure out how to win all of a sudden.  Northwestern will have Persa healthy and practicing for an entire month leading up to this game.  The scoreboard may explode in this game.

42-35 Texas A&M


Kraft Fight Hunger
Illinois vs UCLA


Ha.  The all-disappointment bowl?  Both teams have fired their coaches and they come into this game with a combined losing record.  This game probably won't get much pub nationally (why would it?) but I think it will be an interesting one to watch.  I think these teams are actually a very competitive matchup.  Illinois quit on their coach late in the season but may have the desire to come out and play for their new head man.  UCLA got obliterated by USC but actually made a good effort against Oregon in the Pac 12 championship game.

Who knows how this one will go, both teams have shown glimpses of being solid teams and both teams have shown glimpses of something else.  There probably won't be a ton of points put up in this game.

20-14 UCLA

Ticketcity
Houston vs Penn State

The ultimate offense versus defense matchup.  Case Keenumm and the Cougars have struggled against elite defenses and Penn State has just that, an elite defense.  It will be interesting to see how Penn State plays as they continue to deal with the fallout of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and Joe Pa's firing.  I envision Silas Redd having a very successful day on the ground and Penn State frustrating the Cougars with their defense.


28-24 PSU



Outback
Michigan State vs Georgia

Both squads lost in their conferences respective championship games.  I always want B1G teams to beat the SEC.  I certainly expect Sparty to give a much better showing than they did last year versus Alabama.  This is a good Georgia team facing a good Michigan State team.  I really like this matchup and look forward to seeing how the B1G stacks up.


I heard someone question Sparty's motivation in this game....really?  I think Mark D will have his guys playing the no respect card and come out fired up.  Will it be enough?  Should be a great game.

33-30 MSU


Capital One
Nebraska vs South Carolina

This promises to be another tough matchup for the B1G against the SEC.  Both teams have played well and struggled at times.  I believe South Carolina is the more complete team and has a better defense but they are not the same offense without Marcus Lattimore.  Still, I believe more in the old ball coach than I do in Bo Pelini.  This is another game I am very excited to watch.

24-21 South Carolina



Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl
Ohio State vs Florida


The Urban Meyer bowl.   I like the Buckeyes in this game.  Florida will give a good effort against their former coach but their offensive coordinator has his foot out the door with Kansas and they just simply have issues on offense.  Braxton Miller has shown he can make some throws and with Posey, I think Ohio State's offense is a different animal.  Posey will want to make a great showing to put himself into a great spot in the NFL draft.


24-17 OSU


Rose Bowl
Wisconsin vs Oregon

If LSU-Alabama is a game pitting the two best defenses in the country, the Rose Bowl has the two best offenses squaring off.  There will not be many stops in this game.  I don't see Oregon being able to shut down the Wisconsin running game and I don't see the questionable Wisconsin defense having the speed to keep up with the Oregon offense.  This game will come down to a big turnover or a special teams play like a blocked kick.

I have no idea who to pick in this game. I could see the Badgers imposing their will and their huge offensive line demoralizing the Ducks, but I can also see LaMichael James in the open field, a lot. 


45-42 Oregon 
 
Sugar Bowl
Michigan vs Virginia Tech


Obviously I'll have a lot more content on this game as it approaches, but you all know I'm picking Michigan in this game.  I'm not sure if it's homerism, but this appears to me to be one of the best matchups for the B1G.  While Virginia Tech has a good record, they have struggled whenever they faced a good team (twice this season) and have difficulties with mobile quarterbacks.

I reserve the right to change this prediction drastically.
31-21 Michigan


5-5

That's my predicted record for the B1G in bowl games.  I think that would be a pretty good result when I look at the matchups.  Maybe I am being a bit optimistic?